Notes and Editorial Reviews

Here's more mid-priced Järvi/Strauss from Chandos for your consideration. Disc 1 contains three of this cycle's high-points, starting with a spectacular Sinfonia Domestica. The score's abundant pools of chamber-like woodwind interaction convey characterful zest at all times, while the brass positively let rip in the Fugue, egged on by Järvi's upbeat tempos. The love music makes its lascivious points without wallowing in them. Imagine the X-ray clarity of Szell's recording,Read more Kempe/Dresden's local color, and Sawallisch/Philadelphia's opulent tuttis all rolled into one and you've basically got Järvi. The conductor's fleet, light-footed, and smiling overview of Till Eulenspiegel holds its own with the catalog's finest (including Szell/Cleveland and Kempe/Berlin), and Järvi's strong and fervently projected rendition of the early, underrated Macbeth is equal to those by Dorati and Maazel.

Although Järvi admirably unravels Don Quixote's textural intricacies (an extra fuel tank propels the Ride through the Air, and the dissonant sheep noises seem to have grown fangs!), the Introduction, the Night Watch, and the Death Scene could have moved a little more. Concertmaster Edwin Paling and viola soloist John Harrington brilliantly rise to their parts' challenges, but cello soloist Raphael Wallfisch's wooly tone and occasional high-register wobbling don't match the eloquence and instrumental command Tortelier (Kempe/Berlin, Kempe/Dresden), Fournier (Szell/Cleveland), and Rostropovich (Karajan/EMI) bring to the title role.

In Also Sprach Zarathustra, the Scottish National Orchestra's proud and pliable brass largely prove to be the focal point, while the strings fall short of the fullness and vibrancy marking the more exciting Steinberg/Boston, Haitink/Concertgebouw, and Solti/Chicago versions. However, these quibbles shouldn't prevent you from acquiring this release, given the sumptuous, demonstration-quality engineering, Chandos' bargain price, and Disc 1's glories.

Customer Reviews

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